Hamas says it will kill hostages again if IDF attempts to rescue them

Hamas reversed an earlier statement after the bodies of the hostages were recovered, claiming that they died in IDF airstrikes. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

After the IDF discovered the bodies of six murdered hostages over the weekend, Hamas announced on Telegram that its new policy is to kill hostages if Israeli soldiers come to rescue them.

Hamas reversed an earlier statement after the bodies of the hostages were recovered, claiming that they died in IDF airstrikes.

Although Hamas now admits to killing the hostages, they continue to lay the blame on Israel.

In a Telegram post, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obaida wrote, “Netanyahu and the occupation army alone bear full responsibility for the deaths of the prisoners. They deliberately obstructed any prisoner exchange deal for their own narrow interests, and intentionally killed dozens of prisoners through direct airstrikes.”

He continued, “Netanyahu’s insistence on liberating the prisoners through military pressure instead of concluding a deal will mean that they will return to their families inside coffins and their families will have to choose whether they are dead or alive.”

Referring to the IDF rescue of four hostages in Nuseirat in June, he added, “Let it be clear to everyone that, following the incident in Nuseirat, new instructions have been issued to the Mujahideen tasked with guarding the prisoners.”

He said, “These instructions outline how to handle the situation if the occupation army approaches the location where the prisoners are being held.”

After the announcement, Hamas released videos of the 6 slain hostages before they were murdered.

The first video showed each one identifying themselves, and on Monday, Hamas released Eden Yerushalmi’s final message.

The six Israeli captives who were found dead in a tunnel in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip this weekend were shot in the head multiple times and killed sometime within the last two days, according to a report published by Yedioth Aharanoth on Sunday.

The victims were later identified as Goldberg-Polin, 23; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Ori Danino, 25; Almog Sarusi, 25; Alexander Lobanov, 32; and Carmel Gat, 40.

On Sunday, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the six captives appeared to have been executed by their captors “a short time” before Israeli soldiers located them.